Practical West African cookery

1 tablespoon butter or lard. 1 & teaspoon pepper. Trim the fillet, and, if possible, tie it in a rectangular shape with a piece of string. Paint the fillet with a little of the butter and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Place the fillet in a baking tin with the rest of the butter and put it in a good oven for about half-an-hour. Baste it three or four times, being careful not to keep the oven door open too long. If the butter dries up add a little more butter or lard and very little water. Note. Meat roasted before the fire is better than when done in the oven. If roasted in front of the fire and the piece of meat is a small one, do not let the cook run the spit through the meat as he usually does, but make him lie the meat to the spit. If the spit is run through, the blood will flow out and the meat lose its juiciness. Tournedos. (II). 4 rounds of meat cut in the fillet about one inch thick and two inches across. 2 large tomatoes. 4 pieces of bread cut in the same shape as the meat. 1 dessertspoon flour. 2g tablespoons butter. J teaspoon made mustard. j teaspoon salt. I teaspoon pepper. (1 teaspoon minced parsley.) Slice the tomatoes 1. Cut the rounds from the fillet. so as to get two round slices from the middle of the tomato about half-an-inch thick. Cut the slices of bread the same size as the fillets. 2. Paint each side of the fillets with a little mustard. Mix the flour, pepper and salt together and turn the fillets in the mixture. 3. Put one tablespoon butter in the flat saucepan, when melted and singing, put in the rounds of fillet, cook for about two minutes over a slow fire, turn them over and cook for another two minutes. Take the fillets off and keep them hot between two plates. 4. Add one tablespoon butter to the fat left in the saucepan, when melted and singing, put in the four slices of tomatoes, give them one turn each side and then set them aside with the fillets. a 5. Fry the bread to a good yellow colour in the fat that remains in the saucepan. 6. Mix the remaining half-tablespoon unmelted butter with the parsley (if you have any). Get your dish ready and place on it the rounds of bread, putting on each round of bread a round of tomato and then a round of fillet (place on top of each fillet a little dab of mixed butter and parsley). Note. This dish can also be made with mutton cut from the saddle. It is a nice dish for an entr6e. Braised Steak. (II). 2 lbs. steak. 1 large tablespoon butter or lard. 1 teacupful stock, water, or a little Lemco. 2 onions. 2 berkono. £ teaspoon salt. (Bunch of parsley if available.) 1. Put the butter into the large saucepan, when quite hot put in the steak, either whole or cut in pieces about two inches square ; turn it till a nice brown colour, then add the onions cut in quarters, the pepper and salt, pour the stock into the saucepan, shut the lid down well and let it simmer slowly for an hour and a quarter. If the steak is cut in pieces three-quarters of an hour will be sufficient. Note. Yam, sweet potatoes, carrots or turnips cut in pieces can be added to the braised beef. The yam and sweet potatoes should be added when the meat is half cooked, the carrots and turnips at the same time as the stock. Boiled Ox Tongue. (I). 1 tongue. 3 berkono. 1 onion. 1 teaspoon salt.